I’m buying a piece of property. It’s in an approved subdivision (has BOH approval for in-ground septic), but it’s not your typical suburban cookie-cutter lot. Basically, it’s just an acre and a half of trees. There are about 5 other lots in the subdivison, one of which has been built on. I will need to have a well dug in order to get water.
Here’s my question: is there any way to test the well water before buying? How will I know if there is a decent spot for a well (suggested well locations are marked on the survey map, but my understanding is that they’re just there to indicate where a safe distance–100 feet from the proposed septic system–would be), or if the water is even drinkable? Can they test the water itself (which is 100+ feet down, I presume) without going to all the trouble of sinking a full-fledged well?
For the one house that has been built, is their water okay? How deep is their well? Have the other lots had wells drilled yet? Odds are the whole area pulls from the same aquifer, so if one is fine, yours is probably okay.
A call to a well-drilling company may also be in order. They can porbably answer some of your questions.
When I purchase unimproved land, I always make the sale contingent on getting a good well drilled on the property. I know of too many instances where people bought property and were not able to get good water, making the property useless.
Get a lawyer
Put down earnest money with contingency
Locate your home site
Call the well driller
I was faced with your situation 11 years ago, toadspittle . In my case however, faced with the uncertainty of of well drilling costs, and even the reliability of an adequate water flow all year round, I directed my attention to an alternative.
Prior to removing all subjects on my offer to purchase, I secured agreement with the adjacent property owners, 5 in all, to contract with the municipality to extend the watermain into the subdivision. A couple of these properties already had wells.
This had the extra benefit of reducing homeowners insurance as a fire hydrant could be placed closer to my home.
Contact your state Division of Water Rights. They likely keep a database of all the wells in your state with well logs. From the well logs you can see at what depth you neighbor’s wells are completed, the depths of the aquifer(s) they are drawing water, and the well yields. Probably not water quality though. Where I live, you can look this up on the web by doing a radius search around your property coordinates (Township and Range). The well logs will also tell you what drilling companys drilled the nearby wells. Contact these well drillers first because they may have a good feel for the drilling conditions in the area and what the costs will be. If the geology is complicated or there is more than one aquifer to target, then it may be prudent to also contact a local hydrogeologist consultant.
As bare said, have a lawyer check out your water rights to make sure everything is in order. Water rights can be complex especially out west. Make sure the rights transfer with the property title as you expect.